This is a riveting, dark, and sometimes gruesome thriller that has the perfect balance of character development, thrilling edge-of-your-seat scenes and a unique setting - a small town in Ohio with a large Amish population. This location piqued my interest because I live in an area with a large Mennonite population and although the two groups differ in some of their beliefs, there are enough similarities and that this small town suspense lover had to give this book a go.
Castillo draws readers in immediately with a tension-filled opening scene, but it is Chief of Police Kate Burkholder who was raised Amish but left the tightknit community to become a police officer, that added a lot to the story. I enjoyed seeing her now tenuous connection to the Amish community and how a long-hidden secret continues to plague this tough police officer as she and her team work on a case involving a serial killer - a case that is very similar to a murderer who terrorized the same community 16 years prior.
Kate is a complicated main character but one that I was always rooting for. I appreciated that the secondary characters (Kate's small police force and BCI Special Agent John Tomasetti) had significant roles instead of staying in the periphery. It makes for a more interesting read when you can see how Kate (who is often prickly and aloof) fits in with her staff and the greater community. There is a wee bit of romance which wasn't necessary, but it also wasn't off-putting and allowed readers to see the softer sides of two emotionally hardened characters who have each lived through hell and back.
This is one heck of a start to a new-to-me series. Its cozy, small-town setting contrasts greatly with the violent crimes committed, but a word to the squeamish: the murder scenes are not for the faint of heart. The crime scenes are graphically described so readers who may be triggered, please be aware.
This is a compelling, 'ignore the laundry & read another three chapters' kind of police procedural with a main character who has a dark past who balances the strict morality instilled in her as a young Amish girl with the choices she's forced to make as a police chief solving a string of violent murders. I immediately put a hold on the second book in this series. 'Nuff said.
My Rating: 5 stars
Author: Linda Castillo
Genre: Suspense
Series: #1 in the Kate Burkholder series
Type and Source: Mass Market Paperback from public library
Pages: 368
Publisher: Minotaur Books
First Published: May 25, 2010
Opening Lines: She hadn't believed in monsters since she was
six years old, back when her mom would check the
closet and look beneath her bed at night. But at the age
of twenty-one, bound and brutalized and lying naked
on a concrete floor that was as cold as lake ice, she believed.
Book Description from GoodReads: A killer is preying on sacred ground....
In the sleepy rural town of Painters Mill, Ohio, the Amish and “English” residents have lived side by side for two centuries. But sixteen years ago, a series of brutal murders shattered the peaceful farming community. In the aftermath of the violence, the town was left with a sense of fragility, a loss of innocence. Kate Burkholder, a young Amish girl, survived the terror of the Slaughterhouse Killer but came away from its brutality with the realization that she no longer belonged with the Amish.
Now, a wealth of experience later, Kate has been asked to return to Painters Mill as Chief of Police. Her Amish roots and big city law enforcement background make her the perfect candidate. She’s certain she’s come to terms with her past—until the first body is discovered in a snowy field. Kate vows to stop the killer before he strikes again. But to do so, she must betray both her family and her Amish past—and expose a dark secret that could destroy her.
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